Covering material in both propositional and predicate logic, the
course will emphasize (truth-table, truth-tree, and natural
deduction) methods for assessing the validity of arguments – that is,
for determining whether or not a particular conclusion follows
(deductively) from the premises offered in support of it. The aim of
this course is not only to develop skills of logical appraisal but
also to foster an understanding of why, logically speaking, some
reasoning is better than other reasoning. Since the effective use of
these methods depends on translating (or, transcribing) arguments
into abbreviated, symbolic versions, much attention will also be paid
to the task of symbolic transcription. Mastering the course material
does not require much memorization per se but does demand a lot of
practice doing problem-oriented exercises, in order to develop some
important basic skills.
This course has no prerequisites. No background in logic is
presupposed. The course does satisfy the logic area requirement for
undergraduate philosophy majors.